City of Buffalo 2008 Spring Planting with Re-Tree WNY
In 2007, together with all our partners there were over 2807 trees planted throughout the City of Buffalo thanks to the efforts of people like you! However, we are nowhere near finished. To continue ongoing reforestation efforts, Re-Tree WNY is partnering with the Great American Clean-up and the City of Buffalo to again provide free trees and supplies for city block clubs, schools, community based organizations or any other interested group to plant along the streets in our neighborhoods this spring on May 3rd & 4th.
If you are interested in doing a neighborhood tree planting this spring in the City of Buffalo, Re-Tree WNY is asking all interested groups to follow the steps outlined below by March 14th in order to secure trees for the spring planting.
Step 1: Register your group here: www.city-buffalo.org/retreewny
Step 2: Once your registration has been received and accepted, you will be able to access the online tree-planting database.
Step 3: The online tree-planting database will show specific locations in your neighborhood that have been pre-approved for tree planting. From this database, you can reserve your tree planting locations for the spring.
Step 4: After you have chosen the locations for your trees, you may choose a species from the suggested list provided by the database for each location. At this time, we cannot guarantee that the species you choose will be the species you receive, but we will do our best to honor selections.
Step 5: If this is your first neighborhood tree planting with us stay alert for further information regarding a MANDATORY tree planting informational session provided by the Olmsted Parks Conservancy. Otherwise all groups will receive regular reminders on upcoming dates and steps to be taken before the planting weekend.
Of course you may be wondering…What about those (insert your expletive here) stumps that are still in the ground from the storm! Well that is being resolved as we speak. Contractors have been hired to remove all stumps. While this is a county contract and we have no confirmation that all stumps will be removed for the Spring planting we have been assured that all stumps will be removed by the Fall when we gear up to do this again. If your stump has been removed but the online system is not updated yet to allow you to reserve a tree contact the Mayor’s Call and Resolution Center 716-851-4890 and the update will occur.
Remember, the deadline for reserving trees is March 14th, 2008! So hurry and get your community organized because we would like every neighborhood in the City of Buffalo to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to improve the quality of life of our city.
Other important dates to remember:
-Learn to plant a tree with the Olmsted Parks Conservancy on March 29th & April 5th
-Please schedule your tree planting for the weekend of May 3rd and 4th
-Trees will be available for pick up May 2nd and 3rd
Photo: David Colligan – Re-Tree WNY co-chair.
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Comment Options
comptart_lws
I really admire the work that re-Tree is doing but, can't help but use this forum to point out the imminent demolision of more than 200 legacy trees – that survived the October Storm and decades (some more than a century) of Buffalo weather. How can that happen, you ask? Peace Bridge expansion. And, it's not just imminent, it'll be done by eminent domain. The trees will be taken down, along with 90 homes and 8 or so businesses. The streets will be removed and the streetscape lost forever.
http://www.movetheplaza.stirsite.com/PBAfootprint.html
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chris69
Considering that Buffalo is one of the least forested cities in all of NYS, the the Northeast and Great Lakes Region and in the forested sections of the nation....reforesting our city is a small way every citizen can contribute to the welfare of their city....as well as being a regional imperative!
By the way...with all the tree planing it would be interesting to know where we are in the goal of reforesting our city: 10%, 20%, 30% etc.
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sbrof
The goal of reforesting the city should be the ability to see nothing taller shorter than 4 stories while flying over buffalo.. ;)
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sbrof
Anyhow I must say that the openness of this process is really stagering. Think about it for a second. People can get together, and finally get trees for their street and neighborhood. No longer are we constantly left to a phone call and a post-it-note on someones desk.
The ability to choose locations, species and plant the trees is very empowering for the people in our city. Something that is really taking advantage of the GIS inventory done in 2001 and other spatial programs. It feels like for once the city is working for the people here. It might be a small step but for the first time, if Brown had anything to do with this, I applaud him and this effort. I hope people get organized and take advantage of what really can be a fun communal event, something you can do to improve your own neck of the woods.
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BuffaloSoldier
I couldn't agree anymore. There is a stark difference in the appearance of forested streets from those that are not. ReTree Buffalo is doing our city a service that will not be fully appreciated until generations to come.
Is it possible to request tree plantings on streets that do not have a block clubs or community groups? There are quite a bit of streets in North Buffalo (including mine) that could use a major tree planting due to their barren appearance. However, many of these streets do not have block clubs or an Olmsted Conservancy to advocate for such plantings.
I still think there should be a plan - if not by ReTree than from the city - that addresses these shortfalls in order to ensure as much of the city is forested as possible.
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sbrof
I always thought that it costs too much to plant these trees also. I had 4 sampling elm trees growing from an old tree where I grew up on the east side from a tree that survived dutch elm disease. You know what.. it was basically free. Sure there is a chance that they will not live long, and die but that chance seems to be no worse with sampling than the ones they plant. I often see dead new trees from the beginning because of improper planting techniques, maintenance problems etc.
Growing a tree from seedling seems to be an effective and cheap way to repopulate the city. I could and plan to grow many this spring once the seeds fall again. Perhaps we can setup a system for people to reforest their own streets with the city's input on species / size etc.
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RisingDamp666
Plant them to the curb!
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JBooth
THANK YOU FOR THE POSITIVE COMMENTS!
I wanted to answer some of the questions raised:
Is it possible to request tree plantings on streets that do not have a block clubs or community groups? Yes - Re-Tree WNY recognizes the fact that not all neighborhoods or blocks have a formal organization. While such groups have been a great mechanism for reaching out to the community we have seen new groups form out of simply getting together and organizing a tree planting for their block. So please, if you don't have a formal block club take the initaitive and reach out to your neighbors and organize a tree planting this spring.
As far as having a plan, the City of Buffalo has developed an Urban Forest Master Plan (2004) that has established goals and objectives for restoring and maintaining our urban forest. Re-Tree WNY, working with the city has been using this plan as the guide for our actions in Buffalo.
City-wide, in June of 2003 (pre-storm) American Forests conducted an Urban Ecosystem Analysis for the City of Buffalo utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology and color aerial photography. This analysis focused upon determining our tree cover area and the services that our urban forest provides in terms of air pollution removal, carbon storage and sequestration, and storm water runoff control. The study found that our trees perform valuable services for the City of Buffalo despite a 12% canopy cover. This included the removal of 335,000 pounds of pollutants from the city’s air, a service valued at $826,000 annually. Buffalo’s trees also provide substantial storm water benefits valued at approximately $34.3 million annually in avoided costs. Furthermore, Buffalo’s urban forest stored 133,878 metric tons of carbon with an annual sequestration of 1,042 metric tons.
Unfortunately, these city-wide ecological benchmarks are no longer valid, the October 2006 Surprise Snow Storm has drastically reduced this number by destroying 8,400 mature trees throughout the city and damaging many more reducing our current canopy below its previously low level. According to the 2004 City of Buffalo Urban Forest Master plan, trees occupied 67% (68,000) of the available acceptable sites along our streets. The goal of reforestation plan was to reach an 85% (90,000) stocking level within ten years. This goal has become more elusive since the 2006 storm added another 8,400 trees that needed to be replaced.
The current goal of Re-Tree WNY in the City of Buffalo is to reach the level we were at pre-storm over a 5 year period (2011). Despite there currently being locations with stumps left from the storm, which will be removed in time for the fall planting, there is still 22,000 available street tree locations throughout the city.
Also - as sbrof indicated, trees are easily started from cuttings or seeds and this is a very cost effective way to plant trees. However, they don't last long along the planting strips on our streets for numerous factors.
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chris69
12% canopy cover is horrendous. I knew it was the lowest in NYS but 12% is truly pitiful!
And where are we now 50% of trees on our urban streets...shameful!
The simplest of things that a citizen can do is make sure there is a tree in front of their home and there are trees planted on their street/neighborhood....yet not even in such a simple form of loyalty and patriotism and civic pride can Buffalo be a leader!
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sbrof
Why would they not last long along the planting strips? Wouldn't it make for a stronger tree who started out and developed into its site instead of going from ideal conditions to those on a street?
I only say this because I saw first hand the city plant many dozens of trees 2" - 6" diameter along the Niagara street reconstruction project. Every year they died, ALL OF THEM. They went through replaced them, they died, I think around the 3rd or 4th time they found a species that lived. How many tens of thousands of dollars went into that process of trial and error? The funny part about this whole this is there were mature 50+ foot trees along the road before the construction and now there are a bunch of popsicle sticks taht are barely holding on to life.
Also if they actually took note of those species of trees they cut down they could see what worked from tghe beginning.
Also along the Ontario street boat launch. they plant trees, they die. But you have several trees (apple) that are growing and doing very well along the waterfront. Why not plant more of those.
it just seems like the city is making this harder than it should be for us and the trees. There is also work from American Forests that says trees grow stronger and faster when they are not staked. Nature has a way of caring for itself better then us thinking we know what nature wants. I can understand in some high wind areas... but it is a waste or resources to stake trees along residential streets.
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Dave
Somebody with some influences should talk to the power company. Yesterday they butchered two beautiful trees behind my house on Ashland. They really made a mess out of them.
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al-alo
sbrof,
for my understanding, the stakes have little to do with plant growth. ive been told the stakes offer a target other than the tree for vandal - sort of protection by distraction.
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JBooth
al-alo is correct, I cant source it but I have heard that there have been studies demonstrating that stakes protect the tree from vandals. Also, if you were to plant a sapling along the street the likelihood that it is inadvertently stepped on, mowed over, etc.. is very high.
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